Vertigo
by Chelty-chan and YeahWhatever12
Summary: Rukia and Orihime want nothing more than to do their part to prevent the imminent Winter War, but nothing could have prepared them for this. Well the guys did always say they looked great in white...this was a bit much though. The Arrancar uniform WAS another thing entirely. IchiRuki. IshiHime. Romance/drama/humor.[Sorta Sequel to "Falling For You"]
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys! Finally got around to publishing this now that the other fics of mine that were keeping me busy are done! Sorry it took so long; figuring it out took a while. This is going to be IchiRuki again, just so you know! =)**

**ARC: Even though this is sequel, I've made it so it can stand alone, so you don't have to read 'Falling for You' to get it. It starts right around the time Ulquiorra was sent to kidnap Inoue. Everything after that doesn't happen. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing…just this idea, and an awesome title (I think) Can anyone figure out why I'm using 'Vertigo'?**

**Italics= thoughts or flashbacks.**

* * *

Aizen sat on his throne-like chair, smiling his I-Know-Everything smile, which grew wider when he noted the all too familiar four spiritual pressures that had suddenly appeared in Hueco Mundo.

"Oh ho, looks like the boys are here for their girls," Gin sing-songed.

Aizen's smile didn't falter as the door opened, revealing Ulqiuorra and Grimmjow, whom he had summoned just minutes earlier.

"Aizen-sama," Ulqiuorra started, bowing, "we have-"

"What the hell do you want?" Grimmjow spat impatiently, "I was in the middle of lunch."

"If you value your life, you will not address Aizen-sama like that again." Ulqiuorra warned.

"It's alright, Ulqiuorra." Aizen said dismissively, bringing up a palm to support his head.

"Tch." Grimmjow scoffed, stuffing his arms into his pockets, scowling at any and everything.

"My, such temper," Gin purred, "I assure ya its somethin' you will like."

"Unless it involves me getting back to my lunch before Yammy eats it, or him dying," Grimmjow shot back, gesturing to Ulqiuorra, "then I seriously doubt that."

"It appears Kurosaki Ichigo and his comrades have entered Hueco Mundo." Aizen stated. "I would very much like for you to be the ones to… welcome them." He paused, eyes glinting. "Besides, I am sure your new Fraccion will be happy for an opportunity to show you what they are…capable of."

"ho ho, my, how…mean of ya, Aizen-chan. Do you wan' ta kill 'em boys with heart attacks?" Gin asked, the sly smirk on his face betraying his innocent voice.

"Well…not physically no. But, their spirits are too high, no? They don't quite fit the depressing atmosphere of Hueco Mundo, wouldn't you agree, Gin?"

"Well, ya have a point there, I guess."

* * *

"_How long will you guys be gone?" Ichigo asked._

_Rukia shook her head. "I'm not sure. Unohana-taichou didn't specify on how long Inoue's training is going to take."_

_He scowled._

"Ichigo, focus, your path is breaking." Chad advised, cutting through his thoughts.

"Right."

_Rukia chuckled, shaking her head. "Wipe that look on your face. We will only be gone for a while, besides, you have your own training to worry about, and our year is almost up, the Hogyouku will be ready and Aizen will make his move soon. We need to be ready."_

_Ichigo's scowl tightened. "I know all that already…doesn't mean I have to be happy about it."_

"Kurosaki." Ishida warned.

"I get it okay!" Ichigo snapped.

_This time she laughed. "Yes, I know you know, Ichigo, I just find it funny when you react like that." She sobered, and then added. "Besides, I don't expect you to be happy, no one is. Do you see anyone doing the macaroni and singing happy tunes?"_

_The corner of his mouth twitched. "Macarena."_

_She blinked once. "Huh?"_

"_The dance you are referring to…it's the Macarena, not Macaroni. Macaroni is pasta, you know like noodles, except they're fat and-"_

"_Whatever." She snapped, making his 'lip-twitch' turn into a full-blown grin._

_She sighed, indulging him with a small smile of her own, before lifting her head to stare at a cloudless blue sky. Her eyes fluttered closed as a breeze blew past, fluttering her hair about her face._

_When she finally opened her eyes, she found that Ichigo was staring at her, his head slightly tilted to the side._

"_What are you doing?" she asked curiously._

"_Taking a mental picture." He answered simply._

"_Uh…."_

_His head straightened back to its normal place, as he looked her straight in the eye. "I don't know how long you'll be gone, so…I'm gonna keep this in mind while I train." The intensity of his gaze was making color slowly rise up her neck into her cheeks._

"_I have to go," she suddenly blurted. "Inoue is probably waiting for me at Urahara Shoten."_

_Ichigo swallowed the chuckle threatening to bubble out. Goodbyes weren't something they were good at._

"_Wait," he said, lightly grabbing her wrist. _

_She slowly turned to face him, and he was amused to see that her head, from the neck up, was now an interesting shade of red. The breeze blew past again, blowing her bangs around her face again. He raised his other arm, using his free hand to push the unruly locks of hair out of her face, all the while leaning in closer-_

Smack!

The sound resounded and echoed. After blinking a few times, Ichigo was able to deduce that the sound came from Chad's hand clamping down on his…when he caught him from falling into nothing.

Ishida floated over to them, scowl etched on his face. "What did we say about focusing, Kurosaki?" he snapped, pushing his glasses up as he let out an exasperated sigh. "I would like to say I wouldn't mind if you fell to your certain doom, but unfortunately Orihime and Kuchiki's survival rests in our hands so-"

"Yo guys! What the hell are you doing? We don't have time to waste, let's get moving already." Renji shouted, a little ways in front of them.

After hauling Ichigo up, Chad resumed running on the path Renji was setting with his spirit pressure.

The four guys were currently running in the precipice-like world that led to Hueco Mundo. Their mission:

Rescue Orihime and Rukia.

* * *

When the guys finally emerged from the garganta opening, what, or more specifically, whom, they found waiting for them was a complete shock. To say they were surprised would be an understatement.

"Well, if it isn't the kid who likes to play shinigami."

"Grimmjow." Ichigo snarled, immediately reaching for Zangetsu.

"Hold it, Kurosaki." Ishida warned, blocking Ichigo's path with an arm. "Where are Inoue and Kuchiki?" he addressed Grimmjow.

Grimmjow feigned ignorance, flicking a piece of dust from his pants nonchalantly from where he sat on a rock.

"Oi, didn't you hear?" Ichigo growled dangerously, "where are Rukia and Inoue?"

"Who? Ohhh…those two…the midget and the weird chick with the boobs, right?...I think Yammy ate them."

Ichigo's reiatsu immediately flared, and Grimmjow burst out laughing.

"I said hold it, Kurosaki. Losing your cool and rushing in hotheaded will only get you killed. We. Talked. About. This." Ishida bit out through clenched teeth.

"Oh, it's that kid that's always going on about fruit." Grimmjow suddenly shouted, as if only noticing Ishida for the first time. "You know, I tried to eat a quince the other day. It was disgusting…in hindsight; I probably should not have gotten it from Szayel."

This time it was Ishida that tensed, immediately drawing his bow, aiming at Grimmjow head. "I dare you to say that again." He spat.

"What was that about losing one's cool, Ishida?" Renji asked, jabbing Chad with an elbow. The gentle giant said and did nothing, making Renji frown and mutter. "Humph. I thought that was pretty funny actually."

"Ha, I see pineapple head and the living rock are here too." Grimmjow sniggered.

"Stop fraternising with the trash, Grimmjow. We have orders to carry out." A bland voice interrupted.

"Who's the emo guy?" Renji asked.

"Ulqiuorra." Ichigo stated, teeth clenching. This was all HIS fault.

"Trash." Ulqiuorra greeted.

"Well, don't I feel welcomed." Renji muttered. "No one's ever called me a trashy pineapple before, you know. Trash. Yes. Pineapple. Yes. Trashy pineapple…no."

"Gah! What are we doing?! We are supposed to be rescuing Rukia and Inoue! What's wrong with you guys?!" Ichigo yelled.

"Minions can be a pain in the ass, huh?" Grimmjow said sympathetically, "trust me, I know, it took a while for me to get used to my new minion."

"Minions?" Ishida bristled, eyebrow twitching. He was no one's minion.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up, last time I checked, the blue cat over there didn't have a fracture like the other Espada." Renji interrupted.

"Fracture?" Ishida repeated, eye twitching. "Like…a broken bone?"

"Is he referring to 'Fraccion'?" Ulqiuorra deadpanned. "It appears I have made a grave error in my assessment of you humans, for you are lower than trash."

"Oh yeah, I'm not the only one with a new minion. Emo boy here also has one."

Ulqiuorra's cold gaze shifted to Grimmjow. "You are enjoying this far too much, Grimmjow."

"You need to get that stick out of your butt and live a little emo boy," Grimmjow cackled, the white teeth of his mask separating. "Sometimes it's fun to play with your prey before you pounce and devour it."

"See what I mean by 'cat'?" Renji deadpanned.

"I don't have time for this!" Ichigo spat, Zangetsu unwrapping in his hands. "If you're not going to tell me where Rukia and Inoue are," he started, eyes hard and cold, "then get the hell out of my way."

"You know the good thing about having a minion?" Grimmjow asked rhetorically, completely ignoring Ichigo's threat. "You can get them to do the fighting when you don't want to. As it is, I just had lunch, so I don't feel like running around and pretending like you rats are even worth the effort." He finished, smirking sadistically as Ulqiuorra snapped his fingers.

There was a gust of air as two new Arrancar sonidoed onto the scene.

As the dust cleared and settled, jaws dropped once the guys got a clear look at the new 'minions'.

"No…way…" Renji choked out.

"Rukia…" Ichigo said, disbelief apparent in his voice, just as Ishida said, "Hime-chan."

There was a pregnant pause, and all was deathly quiet as the guys stared at Rukia and Orihime, both dressed in the white garb that represented one's membership in the Arrancar ranks.

* * *

**Wow, I gotta say, it's great to be back in the bleachverse! And look, a first chapter where you have no idea what's going on and a cliffie to boot…don't worry, it will be clearer (and longer) next chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, quick thanks to anyone that left any feedback of any kind, it was nice to see some familiar names from 'Falling for You'. New people, hi!**

**Since my muse is moody and won't decide on a genre this is Drama/Romance AND **_**sometimes**_** Humor. Well, Espada are involved so duh I guess lol. (PS: The Espada's pottymouths are going to be a real problem for me..hmm) **

**Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Tite Kubo, save for my idea. Ha, you may have millions of fans Kubo, but I'm re-writing your whole story my way, one arc at a time MUAHAHAHA…ahem, for fun, not profit..**

_**For all the awesome reviewers, especially Shigatsu-chan who reviewed like THREE times. You rock dudes/duddettes! First reviewer gets a dedikay next chapter!**_

* * *

Ishida glared daggers at the spot where Renji's elbow was digging into his shoulder.

"If it's not so much of a bother, Abarai-san," He said with forced politeness, eyebrow twitching, "I would really appreciate it if you moved your arm. I rather enjoy being able to properly aim and shoot arrows."

"What's that got to do with me moving my arm?"

"Well, a dislocated shoulder would get in the way of-"

"Just get your elbow off him so he can shut up, Renji." Ichigo snapped, irritated.

Renji scowled, but nonetheless regrettably removed his arm from its comfortable resting spot, as he tried, and failed to get comfortable in the cramped space.

"Man, it's too tight in here," Renji complained. "Yo, Ishida, tell your girlfriend to create a little bit more space."

"You're almost, if not just as annoying as Kurosaki." Came the irritated reply.

"Hey, I'm way over here, saying and doing nothing." Ichigo complained. "How is that annoying?"

"You don't have to do anything to be annoying."

"Harsh." Renji muttered. "Someone's mean when they're cranky."

"Whatever." Ishida snapped. "This is a nightmare! Why did I end up stuck in here with you guys?!"

"Dude, ask your girlfriend, she's the one that trapped us in here and-"

Renji immediately shut up at the dirty look Ishida shot him. An awkward silence ensued, and Ishida sighed heavily as he turned his head to face Chad. "At least Sado-san is in here as well. That makes at least one sane person I can interact with."

Chad said and did nothing.

"GAAAH!" Ishida yelled, pulling on his hair. "I'm going to lose it in here!"

Ichigo, Renji and Chad sweat dropped.

_**(FLASHBACK)**_

"No…way.." Renji choked out.

"Rukia…" Ichigo said, disbelief apparent in his voice, just as Ishida said, "Hime-chan."

There was a pregnant pause, and all was deathly quiet as the guys stared at Rukia and Orihime, both dressed in the white garb that represented one's membership in the Arrancar ranks.

"Rukia! What the hell are you doing?"

Ichigo spoke first, immediately rushing forward only to be pulled back by Renji.

She didn't respond.

Ichigo kept yelling her name even as Renji yelled at him to stop. Ishida stood frozen where he stood, still staring open-mouthed at Orihime, and Chad stood silently next to him.

"GAH! WILL YOU SHUT UP ALREADY!" Renji snapped, having had enough of Ichigo's yelling, brutally bringing down his elbow on top of his head. Ichigo fell flat on his face in the white sand with a loud 'oof!'

"Man, I thought he'd never shut up." Grimmjow yawned. "This is getting boring."

Ulqiuorra and the girls remained silent, observing the human trash.

"What should we do?" Ichigo hissed under his breath as he got up, "It's not like we can fight them."

"We can't be sure it's them," Ishida responded. "They could be clones or something of the sort."

"Ori, you deal with the ones on the left," Rukia suddenly spoke, startling the males into silence. "I'll deal with the ones on the right." She continued, eyes narrowing slightly when they landed on Ichigo. "Strawberry's going down."

The guys stared, dumbfounded.

"But Ruuuuuu," Orihime whined, and all heads to whip in her direction. "I wanted to play with the strawberry-san with the giant kitchen knife!" she pouted.

"Okay." Ishida relented. "It's them."

"How come they're fighting over fighting Ichigo?" Renji complained. "What are we? Chopped liver?"

"Seriously?!" Ichigo snapped.

"What?" Renji snapped back, "My sword's like a kitchen knife too." He whined, pouting and crossing his arms.

"Uh, I don't think that's something to boast about." Ishida sweatdropped.

"Pineapple-san is right. His sword is like a huge bread knife." Orihime commented, gesturing with her arms.

"AHA! See?" Renji shouted triumphantly. He was met with blank looks.

"Yes." Orihime agreed cheerily, and then her voice and countenance suddenly changed, darkening drastically. "But the thing is, Pineapple-san," she started, and all the guys swallowed at how cold her voice and narrowed eyes were, "I never did like bread knives-"

"Are you shitting me?!" Grimmjow suddenly interrupted. "You call that a threat? Come on! I think I taught you better than that!"

Orihime pouted, dark aura gone. "But I'm tryiiiiing." She whined.

Ichigo and the others sweatdropped, jaws dropping comically.

Grimmjow grimaced as he turned to Ulqiuorra. "How do you put up with her? Whiny little brat. I oughtta-"

Grimmjow didn't get to finish his sentence because Rukia was suddenly there in front of him, sword at his throat, glaring down at him menacingly. Any wrong move, talking included, and sayonara throat.

"You threaten Ori again," she snarled menacingly, eyes continuously narrowing until they were merely slits, "and I'll make a popsicles out of your fingers and feed them to Yammy while you watch." She continued, ice flowing from her sword as she talked, "and if you dare think I won't, your fingers will be the last of your worries when I'm done with you." She finished with a shove.

"Alright!" Grimmjow suddenly cheered, getting up like nothing had happened. "Now that's what I'm talking about!"

"As expected." Rukia smirked, sheathing her sword. Orihime's pout grew.

"How come Ru gets it right and I don't?" she whined.

"If it makes you feel better Ori, you do the dangerous aura-glare thing way better than I do." Rukia offered.

"Really?"

"Oh yeah, you're like emo the second when you make that face." Grimmjow nodded seriously.

Orihime cheered and pumped her fists in the air, jumping up and down.

"Did you teach her how to do that, Ulqiuorra-san?" Rukia asked.

"Why would I teach her how to stare?" Ulqiuorra stated, looking at the cheering Orihime with a blank expression.

"Good point." Rukia conceded.

Ichigo and the guys meanwhile…were still watching with slack jawed expressions, unable to comprehend what was happening before them. Renji, unable to take it anymore, decided to break the awkward silence.

"Have you noticed that they keep making jokes about this Yammy dude eating-"

"Shut up, Renji."

"I was just trying to lighten the mood." Renji muttered, miffed. "Sheesh."

"When you find your kidnapped girlfriend making _**jokes**_ with the _**enemy**_ and acting like she doesn't know _**you**_…nothing can lighten the m-"

"Hey wait!" Renji shouted, completely ignoring Ishida (whose eyebrow was twitching). "Inoue can't hurt us! What's she gonna do, heal us to death? Yeah right!" he laughed.

"I wouldn't be laughing if I were you, pineapple head."

All heads whipped to face Grimmjow…who looked kind of blurred.

With a start, the guys all realised that they had been enveloped in one of Orihime's barriers. But something was off about it. It looked different. Instead of its usual sunny orange colour, it was now a dull red, the aura emanating from it, far from what they were used to.

"Hey! Let us out!" Renji shouted, running forward, only to be shocked by the barrier.

"Yeah. I wouldn't do that either." Grimmjow added, stalking over to stand in front of them. When he stood before them, he bent over to grin down at them. "Let me let you in on a little secret, losers." He continued, voice dropping so only the guys could hear him. "Those two," he pointed at Rukia and Orihime, who were talking to Ulqiuorra, "are not the same girls you used to know."

Ichigo's eyes narrowed, fists clenched. "What did you do to them?" he snarled.

Grimmjow's answer was only a feral grin as he straightened and turned to walk back to the girls.

"OI! Answer me!" Ichigo shouted as he rushed forward, only to be shocked by the barrier. "Damn it! Get back here!"

"Give it a rest, Kurosaki." Ishida interrupted.

"But-"

"We have no other choice. We have been _**captured**_." Ishida bit out through clenched teeth, gesturing at the barrier that surrounded them.

Ichigo whirled around, intending to yell at Ishida, but shut up when he saw the look on the other teen's face. Following his line of sight, Ichigo saw what Ishida was looking at, and his fists immediately clenched.

Grimmjow said something they couldn't hear because of the barrier, and Orihime cheered and gave Rukia a high five. Orihime then turned to Ulqiuorra, clasping her hands together at her chest and as she talked, beaming up at him widely when she was done, clearly awaiting an answer. Ulqiuorra stared at her for a few seconds, and then his eyes closed and he turned and walked away without saying a word. Orihime pouted and ran after him. Grimmjow was laughing, until Rukia punched his arm, and the two started arguing.

"Damn it." Ichigo growled.

His fists were clenched so tight, his knuckles were turning white.

"I know." Ishida agreed. His voice was calm, but his own fists were shaking. "We waited too long to come after them."

Renji opened his mouth to say something, but Chad's large hand clamped down on his shoulder. And after the gentle giant shook his head, Renji's mouth snapped shut.

_**(End Flashback)**_

"Since when can she do this with her powers?" Renji yawned as he stretched, gesturing at the barrier around them.

The rectangular barrier Orihime had encased them in was currently floating behind the four of them as they made their way towards Las Noches. Rukia and Grimmjow were still arguing, although their argument was now just a back and forth of one word insults. With the barrier so close to them, the guys could now make out some words that were being said.

Orihime was chattering away next to Ulqiuorra, who wasn't listening…or acknowledging her presence in any way.

"It's like the Hirenkyaku (flying screen) that I use." Ishida suddenly responded. "I taught her how to do it."

An awkward silence ensued, during which Renji mentally kicked himself. Clearly, Ishida and Ichigo were upset, or better put – pissed off, which was understandable, and he, in his quest to distract them, just kept saying the wrong thing.

"You know, Rukia's fighting with him just li…er, never mind."

* * *

"Aizen-samaaaaaaaa!" Orihime called, immediately upon entering the giant meeting room.

There was a chorus of groans from the Espada that sat waiting in their designated seats.

"Welcome back, my dear."

Orihime bowed and laughed, and then turned around after she straightened._** (hmm, that's a weird sentence lol) **_

"Aizen-sama, look what I brought!" she cheered, pointing at the males she had captured, ironically like a present.

"My, what a wonderful gift, my dear. You have done well." Aizen purred, getting up from his chair to pat Orihime on the head.

"Really?" Orihime beamed, clapping her hands together. "Well, it wasn't that hard. I thought it would be more fun, but the humans were no fun at all. Now I know why Ulqiuorra-san calls them trash, because they-"

"Oh for fuck's sake! Someone shut her up already!" Nnoitra interrupted, slamming his fists on the marble table. "Her voice is just so friggin' annoying!"

"Be calm, animal." Harribel's monotone voice chastised.

"What was that? You wanna go right now bi-"

"Now, now. There's no reason ta fight." Gin interrupted. "We're all friends here, aren't we?"

Everyone gave him an odd look, as a chorus of answers were heard.

"No." Harribel deadpanned.

"Hell no!" Yammy hollered.

"You idiots are all beneath me. Peasants." Barragan spat.

"Huh? I don't understand the question." Arroneiro gurgled.

"You're joking, right?" Grimmjow deadpanned.

"I don't consider any of these disgusting creatures, or anything else for that matter, my friend." Szayel stated matter-of-factly.

"Not really." Zommari contributed.

"…" Ulqiuorra blinked.

"(Yawn) what was the question again?" Stark asked-yawned.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Nnoitra yelled, getting up. "You are all giving me a migraine!"

"You have a hole in your head where your eye should be, how can you NOT have a migraine all the time! Dumbass!" Grimmjow shouted, cackling.

"This from the idiot with a hole in his gut. Tch, no wonder you're ever eating. Shithead."

"Wow, these meetings just get better each time, don't they?" Rukia drawled, sarcastically.

Ulqiuorra didn't respond, just as she expected, and she sighed.

"Now, now, don't fight my dear Espada." Aizen interrupted, raising a hand, immediately silencing them all.

Inside the barrier-box, the guys stared open-mouthed at the so-called big bad Espada that had been squabbling like a bunch of three-year-olds.

"Why does he keep calling them his dear Espada? I'm not the only one that's creeped out, right?" Renji asked.

"No. This is wrong on so many levels." Ichigo answered.

"Agreed." Ishida contributed.

"Hn." Chad nodded.

"Okay, good. I thought I was hallucinating or something." Renji answered, sighing in relief.

"You could be hallucinating, and we're a figment of your hallucination, you know." Ishida pointed out.

"Shut up, Ishida." Ichigo snapped, turning his attention back to the Espada.

Still smiling, Aizen gestured for Orihime to continue. "You were saying, my dear?"

"Oh, right!" Orihime chirped, eliciting a few more groans. "I was just saying that it was really easy to capture the intruders. It was really weird how they acted when they saw us. I didn't think we looked that scary. Do you remember the look on their faces when they saw us, Ru?" she asked, turning to Rukia.

"Uhhh…"

"Oh it was really strange, like they had seen a ghost or a scary monster, oh wait, there are monsters running around here all the time, but that's not what I meant." Orihime continued, waving her hand around. By this time, a majority of the Espada were either groaning or massaging their temples, or both. It was something that happened a lot whenever Orihime talked. "It's hard to explain in detai- Oh I know! Ulqiuorra-san! Please do that thing where you remove your eye and crush it and show everyone what happened!"

"She's joking right?" Renji gagged, face a little green. His fellow captives offered commiserating gags.

"Oh hell no!" Nnoitra shouted. "I don't wanna see that creepy shit before dinner! The hell does this place look like Szayel's lab? Dimwit!"

"I resent that!" Szayel shot back. "I may have disembodied body parts in my lab, but I don't have any detached eyes." He scoffed. "That would be utterly revolting."

"We are digressing my dear Espada." Aizen interrupted, still smiling patiently.

"What the hell does that mean?" Yammy asked.

There was another chorus of groans.

"Wow, the Espada are really….stupid." Ishida stated, dumbfounded.

"What does digressing mean?" Renji and Ichigo asked in unison, making Ishida facepalm.

"Screw this boring shit." Nnoitra announced. "Any of these trash worth a good fight?"

"That idiot over there captured them by herself, if that answers your question." Szayel pointed out, gesturing at Orihime.

"Anything's gotta be better than being around you idiots."

"Neanderthal." Harribel spat distastefully.

"Now, now, we can't keep doing this every meetin' guys. We have ta try ta get along with each other." Gin purred.

"Oh yeah? What, now meetings are for bonding? What's next? Braiding each other's hair and talking about boys?" Grimmjow spat sarcastically.

"Oh yeah, next it will be makeovers and manny peddies." Nnoitra added, laughing, earning himself and a cackling Grimmjow odd looks.

"How do you two idiots even know what those things are?" Harribel deadpanned, immediately bringing an end to the insane cackling.

Ulqiuorra, being the sanest-ish member of the Espada, saw that there would be no end to the, stupidity in his opinion, and so he decided to intervene.

"Shall I lock up the prisoners, Aizen-sama?" he announced.

"Not quite yet, Ulqiuorra." Aizen answered, waving a hand, his I-know-everything smile back in place.

"Whenever you see fit, Aizen-sama."

"Suck up." Grimmjow coughed, sparking fits of laughter in the room.

"I kind of want to be locked up right now. If only to stop this torture." Ishida commented.

"I never thought I'd see the day when I'd agree with Ishida." Ichigo commented, shuddering.

* * *

About three hours of Espada arguments later, the guys were carried away to be locked in a cell by Orihime and Rukia.

"Humans aren't that horrible looking are they, Ru?" Orihime commented, peering curiously at the so called human trash she had just locked up.

"I don't know. They're kind of ugly." Rukia commented.

"Harsh." Renji muttered.

"That was mean, Ru-chan." Orihime pouted.

"I was just kidding, Ori." Rukia chuckled.

"Oh." Orihime laughed. "But still, I mean, Ulqiuorra-san said they were trash, but they aren't dirty and they don't smell. They smell kind of nice actually, like…fruit. Strawberry, mapleberry, pineapple…and..roses?" she recited, pointing at Ichigo, Ishida, Renji and Chad consecutively.

"Roses?" Rukia asked. "Roses aren't a…never mind. We should go now."

"Oh right!" Orihime gasped, calling back her six flowers, dispelling the barrier. "Grimmjow-san said we should meet him for training in about fifteen minutes. We are going to be late. Oh, and Grimmjow-san gets cranky when he's kept waiting."

"Tell me about it." Rukia groused. "I swear, I need to ask Aizen-sama for a Fraccion exchange. I can't stand him."

"Oh, Ru." Orihime laughed. "You know of all the Espada, he's the one you get along with the most. Admit it; you wouldn't want to be anyone else's Fraccion."

"Whatever." Rukia snarked, eyebrow twitching.

"Denial." Orihime sang.

"Shut up." Rukia snapped, stalking away before using Sonido.

"Rukia! Wait!" Ichigo shouted, having just recovered from their sudden expulsion from the box-barrier.

But she was already gone, and he slumped forward banging his head on the metal bars in front of him.

Orihime gave him an odd look, tilting her head to the side. "Her name is Ru…not Rukia." She said finally.

"Hime-chan."

She frowned as she turned to Ishida. The look on his face was making her uncomfortable.

"And my name is Ori."

"No. It's Orihime." He insisted.

"No it's not."

"Ori, hurry up!" Rukia's voice called down.

"Coming!" she called back. She turned to look at Ishida one more time before flashing away too.

Ishida frowned. "Something's wrong." He said after a few moments of silence.

"No shit, genius." Ichigo growled.

"No. Kurosaki. Something IS wrong."

"Ishida-"

"Rukia and Inoue were using Sonido to move." Chad suddenly spoke, knowing the two could go on like that.

There was a tense silence.

"Now that you mention it…I couldn't sense Sode No Shirayuki anywhere." Renji added. "Which is odd because Rukia's sword released ice earlier."

"Orihime's six flowers have also changed…" Ishida added. "and the girls also seem to have completely no recollection of any of us."

"And…. I can't hear Rukia's thoughts anymore." Ichigo added.

The guys shared a dark look, before Ishida muttered, "Grimmjow wasn't lying…they really aren't the same anymore."

"I knew this mission was a bad idea." Ichigo snarled.

"We had no choice, Kurosaki." Ishida interjected. "Kuchiki-san and Inoue-san knew the implications and dangers of accepting this mission before they even came here."

"Yeah, well I'm pretty sure no one expected to find them wearing freaking Arrancar outfits," Renji pointed out.

"They could be just pretending," Ishida offered. At the sceptical looks he received, he hastened to explain himself. "It could all be an act. They could still be trying to complete their mission. The increasing number of Espada does suggest that the Hogyouku is still whole and functioning."

"But then…" Renji paused.

"What?" Ichigo snapped impatiently.

"That still doesn't explain the change in their reiatsu and the absence of Rukia's zanpaktou and Inoue's six flowers." He pointed.

It was silent as that thought occurred to the rest of them.

"Dammit!" Ichigo shouted, punching the bars.

The resounding echo that rang out created an ominous silence as the males wondered what exactly they were supposed to do now. And as Ichigo punched the bars again, his comrades couldn't help but agree that sending the girls on this mission had been a, for lack of a better word, bad idea, regardless of the lack of options, and regardless of the need to find a quick end to the ever impending war that lay ahead of them.

* * *

_**OMG this is so late, I am so sorry; school is just evil right now. **_

_**Anyway, for those that don't know or have forgotten, at the end of "Falling for You" Ichigo and Rukia could read hear other's thoughts, inners, and swords.**_

_**Also, the 'mission' the guys are talking about, I'm sure you're wondering about, it shall be explained next chapter.**_


End file.
